佛說盂蘭盆經疏 2.61

2.61

"Prepare rice of a hundred delicacies" is a general heading. Just as when someone prepares a sumptuous banquet to invite guests, they merely say "to eat rice," so "rice" is the general term encompassing the hundred delicacies. "A hundred" is a large round number, not fixed at precisely one hundred. "The five fruits" are: first, stone fruits, such as dates, apricots, peaches, and plums; second, flesh fruits, such as melons, pears, crabapples, and mulberries; third, shell fruits, such as walnuts and pomegranates; fourth, seed fruits, such as perilla and sesame; fifth, pod fruits, such as water caltrops and beans. All of the above are tasted by the tongue. "Washbasins and vessels" are used for bathing and the like, and along with "beddings and mattresses" below, they are all felt by the body. "Incense" is smelled by the nose. "Oil, lamp-stands, and candles" are used for illumination and are seen by the eye. It may also be that fragrant oil is applied to the body, which would also fall under touch; such is the custom in the Western Regions. "All the sweetest delicacies of the world" also belongs to taste. In the five sensory objects discussed above, only sound is missing. As for the words "all the... of the world," examining their import reveals two ways of "all": the wealthy and noble must exhaust all that exists in the world, seeking it out if it exists; the poor and lowly must exhaust the reach of their own strength, seeking it out if it is within their power. Thus we know it does not depend on having few or many items, but lies solely in exhausting one's sincerity. This is also akin to [the ancient saying that] "the sacrifice lies in sincerity, the fragrance lies in illustrious virtue." "To place in the basin" is a translator's error; how could beds and the like be placed in a basin? It should say, "place in the midst of the Ullambana offering assembly." The two phrases on "offering" directly clarify the practice. According to the original intent of the sūtra, one simply offers usable goods to the venerable monks; there is no need for carved gold and jade, cut silks and ribbons, or towering racks and stands. Thus the Tripiṭaka Master says: "You should take the finest of things for the four requisites and the basin's delicacy of eight treasures, extend your contemplation through the ten directions, and make offerings with a purified, single mind."